You didn't really think that Microsoft would allow its popular and profitable exclusive Halo franchise to end after the last game in the series, did you? The company has announced that Halo 5: Guardians is in development for the Xbox One with a planned 2015 release date. Kotaku has the story.

"Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4," 343 general manager Bonnie Ross wrote on the Xbox Wire today. "That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what's now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we've invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen." Ross didn't offer too many specifics about the game, though she noted that the next big Halo will have dedicated servers and run at 60 frames per second. The Steven Spielberg-helmed Halo television series will also be out in fall of 2015, according to Ross.

There's more to come at E3 in a few weeks, but if Microsoft feels comfortable announcing this game ahead of the big show, they must have something large to crow about on stage. There have been rumors of a remastered Halo 2 for for a while now that could potentially release this year which for those who feel burned out on Master Chief's recent adventures and prefer his earlier work would be a must-buy title. Or perhaps Microsoft wants fans to know that Halo 5 is on the way so that they'll pay closer attention during E3. Maybe the company wants to ride the wave of press that the Xbox One has enjoyed this week after unbundling Kinect. For all I know, someone in management threw a dart at the calendar which landed on today for an announcement date. Whatever the reason, more Halo is coming and while I'm not a fan of the series, I do like to watch it grow from afar.

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Halo 5: Guardians Announced For 2015

You didn't really think that Microsoft would allow its popular and profitable exclusive Halo franchise to end after the last game in the series, did you? The company has announced that Halo 5: Guardians is in development for the Xbox One with a planned 2015 release date. Kotaku has the story.

"Halo 5: Guardians is a bigger effort than Halo 4," 343 general manager Bonnie Ross wrote on the Xbox Wire today. "That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what's now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we've invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen." Ross didn't offer too many specifics about the game, though she noted that the next big Halo will have dedicated servers and run at 60 frames per second. The Steven Spielberg-helmed Halo television series will also be out in fall of 2015, according to Ross.

There's more to come at E3 in a few weeks, but if Microsoft feels comfortable announcing this game ahead of the big show, they must have something large to crow about on stage. There have been rumors of a remastered Halo 2 for for a while now that could potentially release this year which for those who feel burned out on Master Chief's recent adventures and prefer his earlier work would be a must-buy title. Or perhaps Microsoft wants fans to know that Halo 5 is on the way so that they'll pay closer attention during E3. Maybe the company wants to ride the wave of press that the Xbox One has enjoyed this week after unbundling Kinect. For all I know, someone in management threw a dart at the calendar which landed on today for an announcement date. Whatever the reason, more Halo is coming and while I'm not a fan of the series, I do like to watch it grow from afar.